Many types of gaming systems exist that let players place a wager on particular randomly selected symbol arrangements. The most common examples of these types are the so-called slot machines or fruit machines. Slot machines present several wheels or strips with symbols on them in a display area such as a computer screen. After rotating the wheels or strips, or after otherwise changing the visible parts of the wheels or strips in the display area for a certain time, the symbols currently visible in the display area present certain combinations along certain lines, known as pay lines or win lines. For example, if three symbol carriers each show a symbol of a lemon on the win line, the player wins a monetary prize. Two lemons and one dog face may award the player a smaller prize or no prize at all. US2007/0060255 discloses an alternative where winnings are not determined using pay lines.
Many variations of this type of gaming machine exist, all with the aim of increasing player enjoyment and to encourage more playing. For example, in U.S. Pat. No. 7,252,591, the symbol carriers each comprise a set of symbols as usual. However, some symbols may be provided in the form of a symbol stack that includes an initially displayed symbol and at least one initially hidden symbol. A player can then choose to remove the initially displayed symbol and instead play with the initially hidden symbol. In U.S. Pat. No. 5,462,277 the symbol carriers are embodied as three rotating drums, each with an outer peripheral surface on which a plurality of symbols are shown, which surface is rotatable around a single, joint axis. The drums appear to form a spherical shape in combination.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,362,052 discloses a drive mechanism with a symbol-carrying, rotary symbol carrier, particularly for use in coin-operated gaming machines. The drive mechanism for the symbol carrier is a motor-gear combination, which drives the symbol carrier in such a way that it rotates about two rotation axes. In an embodiment the symbol carrier is a die, and the mechanism allows the symbol carrier to be positioned to display any of the six faces of the die.
This type of gaming machine may be provided with a bonus gaming device, allowing the player to play the bonus game if he achieves a particular result in the main game. In U.S. Pat. No. 7,179,169 an electronic bonus game of this type is disclosed. An image of a rotating wheel is presented, which rotating wheel has several sections with respective symbols displayed thereon. The orientation of each symbol image is adjusted as the wheel rotates.
The performance or chances of the bonus game may be made dependent on the result in the main game. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,186,894 discloses a main game comprising a multi-reel payline mechanical reel or video reel slot arrangement with at least one payline and a secondary event game comprising a multi-reel, one or more payline mechanical slot arrangement. Whenever the player achieves a combination of symbols on the main game that awards the player with the secondary event game, the number of chances provided to the player to play the secondary event game is based on the number of paylines that the player has played on the main game or by the number of credits wagered on each payline.
In U.S. Pat. No. 7,425,177 multiple interacting independently operated wheels are provided. Each wheel includes a plurality of sections that are associated with a plurality of different outcomes which are displayed to a player. One or more of the wheels are rotated along a given axis, either sequentially or simultaneously and the results of the wheel activations influence one or more subsequent wheel activations. Upon a terminating event, an outcome based on the results from one or more spins of one or more of the wheels are provided to the player.
Such gaming machines may embody the symbol carriers as physical reels or wheels that rotate along a physical axis, or as virtual reels generated as computer images and displayed on the display area which is embodied as a display screen. US2004/0102244 discloses an embodiment of the latter type. Virtual reels as shown here are used as they are not limited by the constraints of actual mechanical slot reels.
The above gaming systems still suffer from limitations inherent in their construction. A new approach is necessary to overcome these limitations and provide an improved gaming system that can significantly enhance game experience for players.